Ten thousand march on Prague Castle to mark Soviet invasion and show
disaproval with current leadership

On Wednesday evening, thousands of people attended a protest march in
Prague initiated by Million Moments for Democracy, the organization behind
the largest demonstration in the Czech Republic since the Velvet Revolution
in 1989, which brought an estimated quarter of a million demonstrators to
Prague’s Letná plain in June. Organisers say the event was attended by
10,000 people and served as a reminder of the events of the Soviet invasion
in 1968, the brutal Communist crackdown on protesters in 1969 and as a
protest against the current prime minister and president.

Attendees met on Prague's Wenceslas Square in the evening hours before
heading to Hradčany Square in front of Prague Castle.

The march was part of a wider string of demonstrations organized by the
group this Wednesday. These were held in 93 sites across the country,
including all of the Czech Republic’s major cities.

Police investigating vandalizing of Konev statue

Police are investigating the vandalizing of the statue of Soviet Marshal
Ivan Konev in Prague 6 which was splattered with red paint on the
anniversary of the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia on August 21,
1968.

The statue was erected in commemoration of the general’s role in helping
to liberate Czechoslovakia from Nazi oppression, however Konev remains a
controversial figure since he was also involved in the suppression of the
Hungarian uprising in 1956, and the construction of the Berlin Wall in
1961.

His statue has been spray painted in protest on several occasions in recent
years.

Warsaw ready to negotiate Bogatyne border dispute with Prague

Poland has acknowledged it was wrong to proceed with changes to the
Bogatyne city plan, which opened the way for the expansion of the Turów
brown coal mine in the close proximity to the Czech border, the Czech
Environment Ministry said on Thursday.

The unilateral move raised protests from both the Czech Environment
Ministry and the Liberec region. According to them, the Polish side did not
wait for the conclusion of bilateral consultations on changes to the
land-use plan and failed to take the Czech Republic’s reservations into
account. The Czech Republic called for an extraordinary meeting on the
issue last week.

Despite unfinished negotiations with the Czech Republic, Bogatyne earlier
approved a change to the zoning plan, which, among other things, allowed
the extension of the mine by 14.6 hectares towards the border with the
Czech Republic.

The Czech side had requested information on the impact of the change on
water resources, agricultural land and other habitats, as well as air and
noise pollution on the Czech side of the border.

The Polish Directorate-General for Environmental Protection should deliver
the information before Wednesday, August 28, when the Czech and Polish
governments are to hold a joint session in Warsaw.

Fraud suspects from Taiwan file complaint against extradition verdict

Eight fraud suspects from Taiwan wanted by the Chinese authorities have
filed a constitutional complaint against a verdict by the Prague Supreme
Court which would have allowed their extradition to mainland China.

The Taiwan nationals have rejected the accusations as false and argue that
deportation to China would put them at risk of torture or even death.

The Interior Ministry has granted them subsidiary protection for the
duration of a year. The case will now be reviewed by the Constitutional
Court and a final decision on their possible extradition will be made by
Justice Minister Marie Benešová.

President Zeman opens agricultural trade fair Země živitelka 2019

President Miloš Zeman and Agriculture Minister Miroslav Toman attended the
opening of the annual agricultural trade fair Země živitelka 2019 in
České Budějovice on Thursday. The largest domestic show of agricultural
equipment, products and animals attracts tens of thousands of visitors
every year.

The trade fair is accompanied by dozens of side events focusing on topical
issues relating to agriculture such as bark beetle infestation, water
management and measures to fight drought.

In his opening speech at the trade fair President Zeman called for common
sense in fighting the bark-beetle infestation and opposed efforts to expand
the no-go zones in the country’s national parks.

Two white storks killed by Stutox II rat poison

Two white storks found dead in the Opava region, were killed by the Stutox
II rodent poison recently banned by the government, according to the
results of laboratory tests conducted by the State Veterinary Institute.

The Agriculture Ministry gave farmers the green light for blanker
applications of the highly toxic poison against overbred rodents earlier
this month, but the government quickly reversed the decision after warnings
from environmentalists regarding serious risks to other animals.

Previously it was reported that a number of pheasants and rabbits were also
killed by the poison.

Weather forecast

Friday should be clear to partly cloudy with day temperatures between 24
and 28 degrees Celsius.